Devotional

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Fear Has a Really Big Mouth
Mar 07, 2019 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

56 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me.  2 My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? 5 All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life. 7 Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God! 8  You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? 9 When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.  10 In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word), 11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, 13 For You have delivered my soul from death.  Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?  (NKJV)

Friend to Friend

I often try to quiet fear by pretending it doesn’t exist. Clever I know. But alas, it does exist and that’s not always a bad thing. To the contrary, it can actually keep us safe in proper context. When my house was struck  by lightning and lit with fire, fear sounded an emotional alarm, insisting that I escape and fast. In this instance, fear was good. It kept me safe.  In many instances, however, fear is not good. I’ve found that while it’s natural to be afraid at times human, even it’s best to not allow feelings of fear to consume and control large spaces of real estate in my heart. In Psalm 56, David handles the intersection of his fear and faith nicely.  In Psalm 56, captured by the Philistines in Gath, and in Psalm 57, hiding in a cave to escape the pursuit of Saul, David sifted through honest feelings of vulnerability and desperation. I imagine his reality was one of shaky hands, pulse raging wild and brows soaked in sweat. Yet fear was silenced as he made the powerful decision to redirect his emotions toward a more productive, more faith-filled response when David chose to trust God.  By choosing to trust God in the hiding and in the chains, David’s fear shifted to faith.  Faith shuts the mouth of fear.  “When I am afraid, I will trust you.” (Psalm 56:3, CSB)

“You yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me.” (Psalm 56:8-9, CSB)

These weren’t just flippant statements or memorized verses. These were sturdy declarations. Deliberate choices made by a deeply determined worshiper. The kind of choices that change and calm a frantic heart. The kind of choices that speak peace to anxiousness.  The kind of choices we can make when we’re afraid. The kind of choice we can make when fear screams loud within.  Bring it. Fear is a liar. We can choose faith, knowing God is for us. Decision made.

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Show, Don’t Just Tell
Mar 08, 2019 | Arlene Pellicane

Today's Truth

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.  Proverbs 14:23

Friend to Friend

I’m going to stop wasting time on TV.  I am going to lose twenty pounds.  I would like to help the poor.  I’m going to show my kids I am the boss once and for all.  I’ll apply myself at my work starting tomorrow.   Do any of these sentiments sound familiar?

At some point, we get frustrated and fed up and make an impassioned vow to change.  Like when my forty-something-year-old face breaks out with acne because I ate way too much chocolate the day before, I promise “No more chocolate until Easter!”

But alas, just a few days later if I’m given chocolate or find a secret stash at home, I’m prone to forget my words and eat dark, delicious chocolate instead.  It can be hard to back up our words with actions! Yet words without supporting actions are weak and powerless.  Today’s key verse reminds us that it’s hard work that results in profit, not just mere words, no matter how poetic or persuasive.  “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Hard work on one side of the equation. Mere talk on the other.  Now for many of us, talking is easier than working! But talking, without working, will make men and women poor, both financially and spiritually.  It says it this way in Proverbs 10:4 (NKJV), “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Do you know someone who talks big but works little?

Now isn’t it funny that we quickly judge others based on their actions (I can’t believe she didn’t show up to volunteer!).  But we judge ourselves based on our intentions (Well, I was planning to go but something important came up). With others especially those closest to us, we demand justice.  With ourselves, we tend to apply mercy.  So, let’s take a moment today to take inventory of our talk and our walk.  Do we follow through with our commitments?

Do we work or do we just talk about how much we work? 

If I profess to be a Christian woman, do I act like one?

Does my calendar, social media, bank account, credit card bill, and movie collection confirm or contradict who I say I am?

Now don’t get carried away. This isn’t meant to make you a crazed, work-oriented, legalistic person. Go back to the equation addressed in today’s proverb: hard work on one side, mere talk on the other. This is about ditching grandiose speeches and empty promises and foolish words. It’s about embracing hard work, good habits, faithfulness and diligence. Diligence means “careful and persistent work or effort.”

I read this saying in a Bible commentary about today’s key verse: “The stirring hand gets a penny.”

Nowadays, not very many people are willing to stir anything for just a penny. We’re into “get rich quick” schemes and “3 easy steps” to whatever solution we need. But the way you get ahead in life is by being willing to put in a good day’s work whether that’s at home, in your career, or your personal life.  Hard work may not be popular or easy to market, but it truly is the pathway of growth and success.

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When the Storms Come
Mar 11, 2019 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble.  Psalm 46:1

Friend to Friend

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He feverishly prayed for God’s rescue, but with every day that passed, his hope weakened. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little  hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.  One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. Everything was lost.  Stunned with grief and anger, the man cried, “God, how could you do this to me!”

The next morning, he woke to the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?”
the weary man asked.

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

Storms are for our good. When a storm hits, I usually look for the nearest exit, hoping to escape the high winds. I am more than willing to give up my seat in a rocking boat in exchange for tranquil waters and blue skies.  I don’t like pain.  I dread uncertain times.  When life spirals out of control, I often withdraw from friends and family in an attempt to hide. Stress can paralyze me and make it difficult for me to function normally. Small tasks become huge mountains as the clouds gather and the winds pick up speed. To think that storms are for my good is a stretch to say the least.  I know you have repeatedly heard and maybe even taught the truth that we are strengthened by our storms. Honestly, there have been times when I felt as if I would explode if one more person told me to praise God for my storm. Looking back, however, there is absolutely no doubt that my greatest growth has come during my most fierce life storms. Each storm has become a spiritual marker, a testament to the sufficiency and faithfulness of God. It is from those markers that a powerful life is shaped and molded.  Storms will come. Storms are a reality of life. We will either become storm survivors or storm statistics. The choice really is ours to make. We can stop telling God how big our storm is and start telling the storm just how big our God is. The key to enduring storms is to embrace each one that comes, knowing it contains and can yield a seed of victory.

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Facing the Future or Fearing It?
Mar 12, 2019 | Kathi Lipp

Today's Truth

Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Luke 12:33-34

Friend to Friend

When I was a young adult, I would often tell myself, “When I become really successful, I will give away so much money! I will support orphans and the needy. I need to work hard so that in my later years, I can do a lot  of good in the world and for God’s kingdom.”

At the same time, I was in a constant battle: me verses my stuff. My home was stuffed to the brim with things I bought and used (or not). I would try and try to declutter, but everything in my house, to me, was completely essential. Maybe not right now; I couldn’t get rid of anything that I might need, someday. It seemed wasteful to have bought the heart-shaped muffin pan, use it once, and then give it away. (What if, five years later, I had another child who wanted little heart shaped cakes for Valentines day?) My entire house was brimming with “what ifs.”  So as my house kept bursting at the seams, my plans I had to care for the poor never magically happened. I knew the next step was to earn more money so I could serve the poor and buy a bigger house so that we weren’t always so crowded, and I could concentrate on loving others well. Right?

Isn’t this what the world tells us?

All of this was faulty, future thinking. Instead of doing what I could, in the moment, to serve those right in front of me, I kept saying “someday.”

About my clutter.  About my helping the poor.  And at the root of this future, faulty thinking was fear.  When it came to clutter, “What if I need it someday?” is the cry of the fearful heart.

Because for the fearful heart, what we once decided would be “enough” to start helping the poor, “enough” to have in our homes, will never be enough.  The only way we will have enough in our homes, enough to help those who need the help, is to get to the place where we trust the God who has already given us so much.  It took me well into my forties to believe really believe that I could get rid of the “extra” in my house, the “just in case” in my house, without fear. Have I given away a few things I needed again?

Occasionally. In those instances, I’ve had the peace of knowing that my extra was being used by someone else who needed it, and I could, if I really needed it, buy or borrow those items again.  But the most exciting part of this journey has been the ability to help people not “someday” but right now.  Instead of selling our couch that was still in wonderful shape and people had offered to buy from us, we were able to give it to a single mom who just moved to our community.  And when our friend was raising funds for clean water in Africa, I had a piece of jewelry (given to me by someone who was no longer in my life) that I was able to sell for money to help build a well.  I would rather carry these acts in my heart than extra stuff in my house.  Don’t let your abundance be what you put your trust in. Instead trust your abundance to God.

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Are You Emotionally Crippled?
Mar 13, 2019 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

“Woman, you are released [set free] from your infirmity!  (Luke 13:12 AMPC, note added)

Friend to Friend

I was riding down the crowded streets of Mexico City in a cab when I saw her. She measured about four feet high, back curved, bent at the waist at a ninety-degree angle, and fingers gnarled and twisted shut. Like an  upside-down chair, her face was parallel to the dirty sidewalk. Feet. Dirt. Trash. That was her view of the world. She shuffled alongside our car as we inched through the congested traffic. I saw her, but she did not see me. She could not see me. She just saw feet.  Sharon, look at my daughter, God seemed to say. When you read about the woman with the crippled back, never again see her as a character in a story. See her as you see this woman now. Flesh and blood. Real and relevant. My daughter. Your sister.  God reminded me once again that the women we read about in the Bible were real people just like you and me. We must never forget that. Today, let’s look at the woman with the crippled back in Luke 13:10-17. And while we might not be able to relate to being crippled physically, most of us can relate to being crippled emotionally. We see feet people passing by going about their busy lives. We see dirt the mistakes we’ve made through the years. We see trash…the pain inflicted on us by others and many times by our own poor decisions.  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Rest for our souls. Isn’t that what we all want?

Like the woman with the crippled back, we may have “a spirit of infirmity,” a sickness of the soul. That is an interesting way to explain her illness. More than just a crippled back, her spirit was crippled as well.  Linda Hollies, in her book, Jesus and Those Bodacious Women brings this point home.  “There are many spirits that can cause you to walk around in a bent-over state. They might be your color, your gender, your age, your marital state, your family, or they could be abuse, injustice, resentment, oppression, despair, loneliness, your economic state, or even a physical challenge. It makes no difference what has hurt you in the past, it makes no difference how old you were when the trauma affected your life, and it makes no difference what your wealth, position, or status is. For the evil one comes to steal, kill, and destroy and each one of us is a candidate for being bent and bowed.”

Bent and bowed. The weight of the world on our shoulders. Little by little. Day by day. Heaviness too difficult to bear. A spirit of infirmity.  Crippled by shame, fear, pain, disappointment, depression, poverty, insecurity, inferiority, inadequacy, broken dreams. Satan, the one who orchestrates the spirit of infirmity, wants to cripple us into inactivity so that our walk becomes a shuffle. Our voice becomes a whisper. Our vision becomes a blur.  Who put the chains on this woman in the first place?

Jesus said Satan had her bound (Luke 13:16). In reality, all sickness was ushered into the world when Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie over God’s truth and ate the forbidden fruit.  For the thirty-three years that Jesus walked the earth, He was in a life-and-death struggle with evil. John tells us that the reason Jesus came was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). The battleground is the world and humans are the pawns of the evil one. Note the language: “locked up” and “set free.”  This is about much more than physical healing. It is about spiritual freedom. And when Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” it was.

Now, because of Jesus’ victory over the enemy through His death and resurrection, we are more than conquerors through faith in Him
Don’t miss this. Jesus said, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”

There are those words again set free. The words paint a picture of chains and manacles falling from a prisoner’s shackled body. Another translation says it this way, “Woman, you are released from your infirmity!” (Luke 13:12 AMPC).

The irons of oppression that held her prisoner to this crippled frame gave way and fell at Jesus’ feet as He unlocked the chains that had her bound.  Jesus came to set us free, and that freedom comes in many forms. Whatever Satan is using to bind you, Jesus came to free you. Free from and free to. I can’t say that enough. For far too long we’ve looked at freedom only in terms of what we are free from. But freedom encompasses so much more than a shedding of chains. Jesus set us free to live the abundant life by being all that He has created us to be and accomplishing all that He has planned for us to do. Setting her straight (literally) was only the beginning for her.

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Permission to Speak Freely
Mar 14, 2019 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.  (Psalm 55:22, CSB)

Friend to Friend

I like to filter things. Get the junk out. Keep it pure. I have a filter for water on my counter and on my refrigerator. I replace them regularly. It makes me feel safe.  My fondness for filtering often flows over into the prayers I pray. I search for cleaned up words when I talk to God. Unconsciously believing He’ll like me better if my thoughts, emotions and desires run through a “good-Christian-girl” screen. It makes me feel safe.  Then I see David all up in the mess with God in Psalm 54 and I’m challenged again.  David prays unfiltered. He’s brutally honest with God. In a way I admire but hesitate to emulate. He doesn’t clean up his God-talk. He spills it. Sediment and all. I see this in the Word and my heart breathes.  We can speak freely even when our hearts grind with grit because Jesus is our freedom. We can enter into the dirt of others because He has entered into ours.  It’s good for me to drink filtered water and to filter the words that leave my mouth in conversation, but the words I speak to my Lord don’t need filtering. God can handle my honesty: good, bad and ugly. He needs me to relinquish the ugly in order to transform my heart. There are lessons to be learned in the filtering and un-filtering. In the freedom and in the restraint.  David wrote Psalm 55 in another time of distress.  God, listen to my prayer and do not hide from my plea for help.  2 Pay attention to me and answer me.  I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,  3 because of the enemy’s words, because of the pressure of the wicked.  For they bring down disaster on me and harass me in anger.  (Psalm 55:1-3, CSB)

He prays that God would show him mercy, talks of his sorrows and fears. He asks God to take action, assuring himself that God would, in due time, take care of business.  But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.  17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night, and he hears my voice.  18 Though many are against me, he will redeem me from my battle unharmed.  (Psalm 55:16-18, CSB)

He comforts himself with the hopes of divine rescue, and then points others to trust the Rescuer. His heart burns with the ache of things not being as they should laments the reality of broken life.  Finally, David assures himself that God will make all wrong right in the end. Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:22, CSB)

God lovingly sustains each weary heart that calls to Him, and picks up the heavy end of our burdens to lighten the load.  And He holds tight to His own so they won’t shake.  What a powerful, beautiful, strong picture of His love.  In the shelter of His everlasting arms, we can pray unfiltered, ask hard questions and seek comfort from a God who understands pain, knows all and loves perfectly. We can trust Him.

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Permission to Speak Freely
Mar 14, 2019 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.   (Psalm 55:22, CSB)

Friend to Friend

I like to filter things. Get the junk out. Keep it pure. I have a filter for water on my counter and on my refrigerator. I replace them regularly. It makes me feel safe.  My fondness for filtering often flows over into the prayers I pray. I search for cleaned up words when I talk to God. Unconsciously believing He’ll like me better if my thoughts, emotions and desires run through a “good-Christian-girl” screen. It makes me feel safe.  Then I see David all up in the mess with God in Psalm 54 and I’m challenged again.  David prays unfiltered. He’s brutally honest with God. In a way I admire but hesitate to emulate. He doesn’t clean up his God-talk. He spills it. Sediment and all. I see this in the Word and my heart breathes.  We can speak freely even when our hearts grind with grit because Jesus is our freedom. We can enter into the dirt of others because He has entered into ours.  It’s good for me to drink filtered water and to filter the words that leave my mouth in conversation, but the words I speak to my Lord don’t need filtering. God can handle my honesty: good, bad and ugly. He needs me to relinquish the ugly in order to transform my heart. There are lessons to be learned in the filtering and un-filtering. In the freedom and in the restraint.  David wrote Psalm 55 in another time of distress.  God, listen to my prayer and do not hide from my plea for help.  2 Pay attention to me and answer me.  I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint, 3 because of the enemy’s words, because of the pressure of the wicked.  For they bring down disaster on me and harass me in anger.  (Psalm 55:1-3, CSB)

He prays that God would show him mercy, talks of his sorrows and fears. He asks God to take action, assuring himself that God would, in due time, take care of business.  But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.  17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night, and he hears my voice.  18 Though many are against me, he will redeem me from my battle unharmed.  (Psalm 55:16-18, CSB)

He comforts himself with the hopes of divine rescue, and then points others to trust the Rescuer. His heart burns with the ache of things not being as they should laments the reality of broken life.  Finally, David assures himself that God will make all wrong right in the end.  Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:22, CSB)

God lovingly sustains each weary heart that calls to Him, and picks up the heavy end of our burdens to lighten the load.  And He holds tight to His own so they won’t shake.  What a powerful, beautiful, strong picture of His love.  In the shelter of His everlasting arms, we can pray unfiltered, ask hard questions and seek comfort from a God who understands pain, knows all and loves perfectly. We can trust Him.

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Stop Looking Around
Mar 18, 2019 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

Don’t turn to the right or to the left.  (Proverbs 4:27, CSB)

Friend to Friend

Knowing her soul was filled with sorrow, I sent my girlfriend a few texts with links to worship songs, hoping they would cushion her grieving heart with comfort. A while later she responded. Listening and worshiping. I  have death certificates and head stones here, but we know that he has eternal life and the glory of God all around him. For that, I will ever praise the Lord.  The funeral had passed, but the sting of the death was still fresh and fierce. At the hand of a tragic, senseless accident, her young-adult son was gone in an instant. Shockwaves of horror ripped through the community, leaving thousands with a raw reminder of the frailty of life.  One treasure in the darkness of this horrific loss is this: my friend grieves with hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) She and her family lament knowing full well that the ashes of death for a believer transition to the perfect beauty of God’s presence.  Faith in Jesus breathes hope. Life eternal.  Faith in riches wealth things of earth breathes hopelessness and death. And sadly, many among us place earthly treasures above the unsearchable greatness of God. The Word speaks directly to this in Psalm 49.  “For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.” (Psalm 49:10)

It’s said there are two things no one can avoid: death and taxes.  Psalm 49 gets a bit icky by tabling the uncomfortable topic of the unavoidable date we all have with death. The questions that rise in my heart as I read Psalm 49 are ones of trust. Will I trust in my position, my possessions, and myself or will I trust in God?

Will I trust that God really is who His Word says He is?

“People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.” (Psalm 49:12-13)

I’m reminded to stop looking around at the blessings or wealth of others.  “Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:27)

Ain’t no Uhaul following a hearse, right?

Worldly prosperity versus godly prosperity?

Trust in yourself or trust in God?

As believers, we can trust that God will redeem every ounce of pain when our last day comes. And when that happens, we won’t care anymore about the trappings of this world. We will finally be at peace.  Those who misplace their trust in wealth do not know this hope.  With this in mind, let’s keep our eyes on what matters and live boldly today to share the wonder of grace with all we meet.

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The Gentle Whisper of God
Mar 15, 2019 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Be still and know that I am God.  (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

Friend to Friend

It is totally true that we have to learn to get still and quiet in order to hear from God. This is why God tells us in the Psalms:  “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

I love the story of Elijah the prophet who is waiting to hear from God about the man who will replace him and carry on the ministry. (Elijah’s story is found in 1 King 19.)  Elijah asks God to speak to him. Elijah goes through a great storm but God does not speak in the storm. He experiences an earthquake but God does speak in the earthquake. He sees a great fire but again, God does not speak in the fire. Elijah finally hears God in a still, small voice in a gentle whisper.  God will use a 2 x 4 to get our attention when nothing else works. But He prefers to get our attention through a still, small voice. We must learn to get quiet in order to hear the gentle whisper of God’s Spirit.  If you have established a daily time with God, you have no doubt discovered the reality that the minute your body gets still, your mind and heart kick into high gear. Your mind brings up all the things you have to do, while your heart reminds you of all the things you are worried or concerned about. One of the challenges of being still is dealing with these issues.  Within the Quaker faith, there is a great deal of teaching about the concept of “centering down.” It is a way of dealing with the mind’s desire when we get still to push us towards reflection and thinking. The point of what I call “chair time” or time alone with God is not to reflect and think but to clear your mind and heart so you can hear from God.  I have developed my own practice out of what I have learned from the Quakers. I call it “spinning off.” Here is how it works for me. The minute I try to get still, my mind (my intellect) kicks into gear and reminds me of all kinds of things:
What is still on my “to do” list?
What do I need to get done tomorrow?
What did I forgot to do today?
What about the bills that I still need to pay?
Is there enough money in our bank account to pay those bills?

The heart (my emotions) does the same thing. The minute I get still, my emotions take over and bring to mind:
That recent hurt or loss
Anything I am worried about
My friends who are struggling
How tired I am
How depressed I am
How frustrated I am

What is happening between the mind and the heart is actually counter productive. You are trying to get still to hear from God. And yet your mind and heart are racing ahead, not wanting to sit still at all.  This is where spinning out comes into play. Picture yourself trying to center down trying to get to the place where your body, your mind, and your heart are still so you can hear from God. I start out by praying, “Jesus I want to hear from You today. Help me to center down. Help me to spin off any distractions that come to mind.”

Then, as I get still, something will pop into my head or my heart. I think about it for a moment, make a plan to deal with it later, and then spin it off. I literally picture it leaving my mind or my heart and spinning away. When the next worry or thought or hurt comes, I do the same thing.  I often think through phrases like these to help me spin off:
“I can’t fix that right now I will deal with it later.”
“I am concerned about that but God, I trust You with it.”
“I do need to get that done but not right now.”
“I do need some time to process that but that is for another day.”

My experience is that when I learn to practice centering down by spinning off the thoughts from my head and the feelings from my heart, I get still enough and quiet enough to hear that still, small voice of God.

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A Winner in God’s Eyes
Mar 19, 2019 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.  (John 15:5, NCV)

Friend to Friend

Who says dreams don’t come true?

My son grew up with one dream in mind to play college football. That dream came true. Jered was the starting fullback on his college football team thanks to an academic and  football scholarship. (Of course, I taught him everything he knew!) When college football scouts from all over the country began to recruit Jered, I discovered it was quite a process. Football scouts keep track of the statistics on high school players, watching certain ones for three and four years. College coaches show up at high school games to talk with high school coaches and watch their potential players in action. Letters start filling the mail box along with promotional material for their college football programs. Then the phone calls begin.  When the players are high school seniors, the process becomes even more intense. The college scouts request game film highlights, academic transcripts, detailed applications and teacher recommendations. They meet with the high school players themselves, inviting them to visit the college campus for a weekend. After months of “courting,” the final phase begins. The students narrow down their college choices as the college scouts do the same. At some point, each one makes a choice and the dance is over. During the entire process, both the college recruiter and the student athlete have one thing in mind making the best choice because both want to be on a winning team. Life is much the same.  If I were running the world, I would assemble a team of winners, choosing the smartest, brightest, most experienced, most talented, wealthiest and most successful as members of my team. But there is a God and, thankfully, I am not Him.  God has written a different plan for the most important invasion of all time. It is the plan of invading Satan’s territory Earth and retaking it under the banner of His son, Jesus Christ. And just look at His choice of recruits for the job the weak, the poor, the broken and sick, the lonely and defeated. God chose the most ordinary people to accomplish the most extraordinary deeds.  Why would God choose flawed people to do His most important work?

The answer is a very simple and yet profound spiritual principle.  God’s power shows up best in broken people.  Do you want to be used by God?

I have good news. God wants to use you. In fact, He will use you because that is His plan and has been all along. When we pray for the Lord to use us, we are asking Him to do something He already wants to do. Perhaps our prayer should be, “Lord, make me usable.”

Only He can fully prepare us for service. It is not our ability that the Father is concerned with it is our availability. Today, celebrate the truth that God chose you for His team and even now is preparing you for the game of life.

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Turning “Why Me?” into “What Now?”
Mar 22, 2019 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”   (1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV)

Friend to Friend

My son and I sat on the floor in his room playing Rummy. We had just a few minutes before rushing off to register for his summer swim class and wanted to get in one more round of play. This summer was proving to  be the best ever. Our Golden Retriever, Ginger, had just delivered seven adorable puppies, Steven was enjoying his sixth summer of life, and after four years of the heartache of negative pregnancy tests, God had surprised us with a new life growing inside my womb.  But as Steven and I sat on the floor, I felt a warm sticky sensation run down my leg. A trip to the bathroom confirmed my greatest fear.  Later that afternoon, our baby died, and is now waiting for us in heaven.  What began as a summer full of life and joy, quickly turned into a season of great loss and sadness. I mourned for that child for which I had prayed. I felt the ache of empty arms.  I once heard someone say, “I never knew I could miss someone that I had never met.”

Now I understood. We never knew for sure, but in my heart, I felt that the baby had been a little girl.  During those summer months, I went through the grieving process step-by-step. I’ll admit that I was angry at God for “taunting” me with this gift of a child and then taking her away. But through the months and years that followed, God taught me many lessons about myself, about Him, and about trusting in His unfailing love.  I believe that when we go through a trial that wounds us deeply, God can use it to teach us valuable lessons. Some of those lessons are a deeper understanding of who God is, of who we are, and of what we truly believe. Our faith grows in the petri dish of struggles in the laboratory of life.  One of my most valuable lessons, through all my wounds and scars, was a decision to stop saying “why me?” and to begin saying “what now?”

But the lesson that continues to reverberate like a gentle thunder is the truth of God’s unfailing love.  During the months that followed the loss of our child, I struggled with God. Just as Jacob wrestled with God through his dark night of the soul, I wrestled as well.  How could He love me and allow this to happen?

Why would God withhold my dream?

Is He able?

Is He kind?

Is He really there?

It was a dry summer in my heart and soul. No one could help me, comfort me, or lift me out of my deep pit of sadness. And while I didn’t want to talk to God, He never left my side. Patiently, He waited for me to cry out to Him to say, I will trust you even though I do not understand.  It is easy to trust God when life is skipping happily along. It is a deeper faith that forms when the skipping halts to the slow crawl of despair. Honestly, I never enjoy the struggles, but I do revel in the deeper understanding of God that is forged in the fire.  As Peter wrote, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV).

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When Forgetting Is Not Enough
Mar 29, 2019 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”  (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)

Friend to Friend

I’ve had some things to happen in my life that I would just as soon forget. I bet you have too. But as soon as I start to shred the memory and throw it in the trash, God says, “Hold up. I’ve got a good purpose for that bad story.”

Joseph learned that lesson, too. Joseph had been sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, falsely accused of sexual harassment, and left in a prison to die. Then God miraculous rescued him from prison and made him second in command to the Egyptian Pharaoh. By his thirty-seventh birthday, Joseph had two sons. One he named Manasseh, which means “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”

The second son he named Ephraim, which means “it is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Many years after his sons had been born, Joseph learned that his father, Jacob, was ill. So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim and traveled for one last visit.  When they arrived, Jacob said, “Bring the boys to me so I may bless them.”

Joseph brought his sons to his father’s bedside. He placed Ephraim on his right toward Jacob’s left hand and Manasseh, his first born, on his left toward Jacob’s right hand. But instead of giving the blessing to Joseph’s firstborn, Jacob reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger. Then he crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head.  Joseph tried to stop his father from giving the blessing to the second born rather than the firstborn, but his father refused.  “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations” (Genesis 48:19).

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.  What a beautiful picture. Yes, Joseph had a life of trouble and suffering at the hands of those who abused, neglected and betrayed him. But God didn’t want him to merely forget his suffering as the name Manasseh implied. He wanted him to be fruitful in his suffering as the name Ephraim implied.  It is the same with you and with me. God does not want us to simply forget the pain of the past. He wants us to be fruitful in the land of our suffering! Use it for good. Go back to today’s truth. God doesn’t comfort us just to make us comfortable. He comforts us to make us comfort-able. Able to comfort those with the comfort we have received. That is the good fruit. How is God calling you to use your seemingly bad stories for a good purpose?

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You Bet It’s Personal!
Mar 28, 2019 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.  (Psalm 64:1b)

Friend to Friend

Battles are everywhere in our homes, in our hearts, in our humanity, and in realms unseen. The Bible actually has a lot to say about this: Our struggle isn’t just against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the  authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) No weapons formed against us will prosper. (Isaiah 54:17) Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) When we submit to God and resist the devil, he has to flee! (James 4:7) And there’s tons more.  Let’s be honest, that’s a lot to take in. It all sounds so major-motion-picture. So Star Wars! Good versus evil. Light versus Darkness. Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader. Anakin versus himself.  On the big screen those who fight for good work tirelessly to fend off the attacks of the destructive and devious. They fly around in vehicles that range from sleek Delta-7 Jedi Star Fighters, to agile X-wing Fighters, nimble Speeder Bikes and the massive Millenni- um Falcon all to take on their havoc-wreaking enemies who conspire and plan bad things on starships like the Death Star, Imperial Star Destroyer and the Star Cruiser. You get the picture.  On the screen of my heart, attacks feel more personal.  David felt this way too. In Psalm 64, he’s frustrated with his enemies and goes to battle by taking it up with God. Voicing his complaint about their destructive ways, he begs for good to overcome the evil conspiracy against him.  God, hear my voice when I am in anguish.  Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.  2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people, from the mob of evildoers, 3 who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim bitter words like arrows, 4 shooting from concealed places at the blameless.  They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.  (Psalm 64:1-4)

David not only voices his complaints, but he voices his confidence that God will conquer his enemies. He’s confident that after God takes control, the people will fear and they will acknowledge who God is. Ultimately, the Bible assures us the righteous will rejoice because the enemy is defeated by the power of our God.  But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly, they will be wounded. 8 They will be made to stumble; their own tongues work against them.  All who see them will shake their heads. 9 Then everyone will fear and will tell about God’s work, for they will understand what he has done.  10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord and takes refuge in him; all those who are upright in heart will offer praise.  (Psalm 64:7-10)

Good defeats evil.  GOD WINS.  We’re on His side.  He’s on ours.  So incredible! No wonder David has such a passion for Praise. When battles are fierce, faith is bolstered in the praising. Let’s let worship be our weapon of choice today.

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We’re Loved Even When Life is Messy
Mar 27, 2019 | Holley Gerth

Today's Truth

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39, NLT)

Friend to Friend

I walk into the kitchen on an ordinary morning and sigh at the spectacle in front of me. Mugs half-filled with cold tea. Dishes with bits of red sauce still stuck around the edges. Plates piled high in the sink.  I imagine a hazmat team beating down the door at any moment. One of my in-laws showing up to repossess my husband. Paparazzi peeking in the windows to snap a scandalous shot of the wreckage.  I look at my husband and declare, “I feel like a failure because the kitchen is a mess.”

I know these words are irrational. Everyone has messy times in their lives. But on this morning those words feel true. He chuckles at my perfectionist self. “We’ve been traveling and really busy,” he says with a grin and an arm around my shoulders.

This bit of grace is enough to throw me a lifeline. And into that space comes this reminder: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38-39).

And quite suddenly and unexpectedly I’m writing my own version.  Nothing can separate me from God’s love. Neither messy kitchens nor dirty dishes, neither stressful deadlines or chaotic travel, neither all I have to do today or what’s on my schedule for tomorrow not even the lie of the enemy saying “You’re a failure” can separate me from God’s love.  How would you fill in those blanks?

Nothing can separate me from God’s love. Neither (screaming children, a hard diagnosis, the amount of wine I had last night, a crumbling marriage, the bad hair day) nor (what anyone says about me, how many times I’ve messed up before, my insecurity or feelings of inadequacy, the latest bad news on TV)–not even the sneaky attacks of the enemy (on my heart, my work, my family) can separate me from God’s love.  There’s always a reason to believe God isn’t going to love us anymore. But there is also one reason we can always know that isn’t true: The Cross. It is bigger than mountains of dishes or the hardest of divorces or the scariest diagnosis. It is the one constant in our crazy lives, the ever-present declaration telling us over and over again, “You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.”

My husband and I clear the counters and load the dishwasher. As we do, my thoughts begin to clear too. It’s so easy to let my circumstances or environment define me. But God alone gets to determine my identity. He looks at all that’s in my life, in my heart, in my kitchen sink and He still calls me always and without hesitation, “Beloved.”

He’s saying the same to you. To all of us. Whatever may happen, however we may feel, Love gets the final word in our lives today.

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My Battle With Pride
Mar 26, 2019 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  (Romans 12:3b, NIV)

Friend to Friend

A famous explorer in South America was once forced to abandon his journey by an almost invisible enemy. He was equipped to meet leopards, serpents and crocodiles. They proved to be no threat, but what he had failed to  consider were the tiny insects called chiggers. Chiggers are so tiny that in North America we call them the “no see-ums.”  Pride and chiggers have a lot in common. Pride comes in little ways, unseen actions, subtle thoughts or inconspicuous comments. Unguarded attitudes and random thoughts are prime breeding grounds for pride. We must take charge of those thoughts, discipline our attitudes, training our thinking processes to give up and obey God.  Pride loves to take up residence in an undisciplined thought life, changing the setting and dictating attitudes with little or no resistance. When Paul encouraged the believers in Rome to cultivate “sober judgment,” he was warning them to take charge of the mind, refusing to allow the entrance of any thoughts that would entertain pride. A disciplined thought life is the very foundation of a victorious journey with God.  Many of us attempt to find worth and identity in what we do not who we are. As a result, our actions are intended to draw the attention of anyone and everyone in a vain effort to establish self worth. There may be people in your life who are difficult to love. Our responsibility is to love and accept these difficult people without insisting they change or counting on them to change. In order to do that, we must choose grace and humility over pride and censure. Pride vanishes beneath the loving gaze of our Father who simply longs for each one of us to see ourselves through His eyes no more and no less.  The frontline of battle against pride is the mind. We are in a war for the control of the mind. Paul recognized that truth and urges us on in the battle, “We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB).

To take something captive is a military tactic that we would do well to employ, because the harsh reality is that when it comes to our thought life. we are in a great battle especially when dealing with pride.  Sometimes it seems as if pride can actually crawl into my mind and grab hold of any undisciplined thoughts floating around. Pride then flings those random thoughts into my heart as an attitude laced with burning arrogance. We can change our lives by changing how we think. We can dictate the attitudes of our heart by fixing our thoughts on God and His truth. The result is peace, which stands against pride, electing humility instead. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You” (Isaiah 26:3).

What does it mean to “fix” our thoughts?

Webster’s Dictionary defines “fixed” as “rigid, solid or firm.” We must learn to fix our thoughts on the truth of God’s word. We need to be rigid in controlling our thought processes, holding firm to God’s standard for the mind. The result will be a stable way of thinking and living. To prevent pride requires a choice to take charge of our mind.  I once dated a young man I thought was “the one.” For some reason, my mother did not like him. Knowing her daughter very well, my mother said nothing, but I am sure she was on her knees pleading with God to take that young man out of my life. He did. We eventually broke up and my mother finally explained why she had a problem with this young man. “If I could buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth, I would be a millionaire!”

Mama did have a way with words. She was so right! Today, that man is out of ministry, divorced and living a life that is unpleasing to God. His pride robbed him of the best God had for him.  Don’t let that happen to you. Run from anyone or anything that promotes a prideful attitude. Eliminate the strongholds of pride in your life. Nail your ego to the cross and declare it powerless. Celebrate the trophy of grace you are in God.